Nicolas Cage Bails Out Of Joel Schumacher's 'Trespass'

So I guess someone gave Nicolas Cage a copy of Joel Schumacher's recent film Twelve. The actor was set to co-star (with Nicole Kidman) in Schumacher's film Trespass, which had been planning to shoot later this month. But with only weeks to go until principal photography, Cage left the film, went on vacation, and (supposedly) can't be reached. Will Trespass still shoot, or will Cage face a lawsuit? And is there more to the story than we currently know?

Deadline reports that Cage bailed with no real explanation, originally leaving some supposition that he might be back in time to make the film. But an update says that pending the casting of a replacement, the film will shoot as planned, without Cage.

Problem is that some of the film's $35m budget was likely contingent upon the participation of Cage. If an actor can't be found that satisfies the box-office ambitions of the film's investors, the film could be delayed, downsized or scrapped, at which point everyone might turn to stare down Cage. In court.

Deadline also fills in some of the gaps with respect to recent info on the film. The plot has a husband and wife taken hostage by thieves. Cage and Kidman were originally meant to be the couple, but Cage recently switched things up and took the role of the criminal leader. An offer is out to Liev Schreiber for the husband role, but the report says he hasn't yet taken or declined it.

I do wonder if Deadline only has one side of this story. Cage has been around for a long time, and he has to be entirely conscious of the consequences of walking away from a project like this. When he's already got a crushing bill for back taxes with the IRS, how likely is it that he'd willingly put himself in a situation where he might be financially liable for anything relating to Trespass? Doesn't seem likely at all.